Poinsettia Problems: Your Monthly Scouting Guide, 2021

JF14
This post on poinsettia problems was contributed to by Drs. Chevonne Dayboll and Sarah Jandricic.

When poinsettias get problems,  they always seem to hit hard and fast. Things like whitefly, Lewis mite, root rots, and nutritional issues can all quickly derail a quality crop. This is why scouting might be more important in this crop than any other.

Here’s a month by month guide on what you should be looking for to prevent small problems from becoming big issues.

Continue reading “Poinsettia Problems: Your Monthly Scouting Guide, 2021” →

Garden Mums – 2021 Production and Protection Tips

praying mantis on garden mums

This post was contributed to by Drs. Sarah Jandricic, Andrew C. Wylie and Chevonne Dayboll.

Summer is getting underway, and so too are garden mums!  Although generally an easy crop, there several tweaks you can make to help save headaches AND money.

This post has updated information to help you optimize your irrigation, fertilizer and pest management programs in garden mums.

New Resources for Mum Production

Hit your exact ship size on your ship date using Graphical Tracking

Track and even out the growth of your mums using a graphical tracking tool with a few easy steps:

Continue reading “Garden Mums – 2021 Production and Protection Tips” →

OMAFRA Controlled Environment Agriculture Series — Cannabis Potency and Horticultural Management Strategies

OMAFRA’s webinar series dedicated to optimizing production in environmentally controlled agroecosystems continues. This time, they’ll be addressing how horticulture practices impacts the quality of cannabis characteristics. Share with anyone you know might be interested!

Continue reading “OMAFRA Controlled Environment Agriculture Series — Cannabis Potency and Horticultural Management Strategies” →

Controlled Environment Technology Webinar, Part 2: Managing Greenhouse Environments Under Blackout Curtains – March 12

The OMAFRA Greenhouse Vegetable Specialist is continuing an exciting webinar series on technology in controlled environments!

This series is relevant to anyone producing in controlled environments – from vegetables, to herbs, cannabis and flowers. The second webinar tackles the use of black out curtains for light abatement in these systems, and how their use can impact plant production. Industry experts from AAFC, Hoogendoorn, Ludvig Svensson, Van der Ende Group and 360 Energy are all participating. so don’t miss the opportunity to hear from so many experts at once! This webinar covers each company’s approach to addressing challenges of production under curtain cover, and involves a panel-style discussion about integrating these systems.

Details on this installment of this webinar series can be found below.

Continue reading “Controlled Environment Technology Webinar, Part 2: Managing Greenhouse Environments Under Blackout Curtains – March 12” →

Can We Reduce Pest Pressure in Floriculture by Adjusting Plant Nutrition?

Subirrigation in a dutch tray of gerbera plants

Producing high-quality ornamentals while decreasing pesticide use requires finding creative ways to reduce pests across your whole production system.

Are you interested in learning more about the role fertilizers and biostimulants can play in plant health — both in terms of plant quality and pest levels?

This upcoming and FREE webinar provides and overview of a current project between the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, OMAFRA and industry partners on this unique topic.

Continue reading “Can We Reduce Pest Pressure in Floriculture by Adjusting Plant Nutrition?” →

Poinsettia Production Refresher: 2020

Poinsettias on Cruise Control | Greenhouse Industry Roundtable of ...
Poinsettia cuttings being rooted. Photo courtesy of Ohio State University.

Now that poinsettias are safely tucked into their prop trays and the threat of Erwinia (Pectobacterium) is almost over, it’s time to think about other Poinsettia issues.

Root rots, nutritional issues, environmental stress and PGR mistakes can all be costly in this high-value crop.  Read on for common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Continue reading “Poinsettia Production Refresher: 2020” →

Poinsettia Problems: Your Monthly Scouting Guide

JF14
This post on poinsettia problems was contributed to by Drs. Chevonne Dayboll and Sarah Jandricic.

When poinsettias get problems,  they always seem to hit hard and fast. Things like whitefly, Lewis mite, root rots, and nutritional issues can all quickly derail a quality crop. This is why scouting might be more important in this crop than any other.

Here’s a month by month guide on what you should be looking for to prevent small problems from becoming big issues.

Continue reading “Poinsettia Problems: Your Monthly Scouting Guide” →

Is Your Water a Source of Plant Disease? How to Sample and Find Out.

Old rustic water pipe with running drinking water and plastic bottle being filled up, aid concept.

After reading the previous posts in this series, you’re now aware of WHICH pathogens can be spread through your irrigation water, WHERE they can accumulate, and WHY that’s important.  We’re now moving on to posts covering WHAT you can do about it!

This post will walk you through how to sample water sources on your farm, and which tests you can run to determine if your water is helping – or hurting – your crop.

Continue reading “Is Your Water a Source of Plant Disease? How to Sample and Find Out.” →

Garden Mums – 2020 Production and Protection Tips

praying mantis on garden mumsThis post was contributed to by Drs. Sarah Jandricic and Chevonne Dayboll.

Summer is in full swing, and so too are garden mums!  Although generally an easy crop, there several tweaks you can make to help save headaches AND money.

This post has information to help you optimize your irrigation, fertilizer and pest management programs in garden mums.

Continue reading “Garden Mums – 2020 Production and Protection Tips” →

Which Pathogens Should You Worry About in Your Water?

This is the second blog post in a series about water sanitation. The goal of this series is to get you reflecting on your own irrigation system before you are faced with a problem.  Posts over the next few weeks will focus on identifying problems, interpreting lab tests, on-farm disease monitoring, and water treatment options.  These will be good refresher resources, so make sure to bookmark them.

When it comes to talking about disease-related issues in greenhouse crops, one point of confusion is often oven WHICH pathogens CAN be transmitted by water.  Some are obvious – we all know Pythium is water-borne.  But what about other culprits, like Fusarium or Erwinia? Should you worry about these in your recirculating water?

Read more to find out when to suspect your irrigation water versus other factors when it comes to disease.

Continue reading “Which Pathogens Should You Worry About in Your Water?” →